


i tried to pick my battles (til the battle picked me)

by Snickerdoodles143



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Crossover, F/M, Gen, M/M, Magic, Minor Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson, Rare Pairings, Sassy Harry Potter, Werewolf Klaus Mikaelson, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:07:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28446621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snickerdoodles143/pseuds/Snickerdoodles143
Summary: If Klaus is annoyed by their interruption, he doesn't show it.“I’ll deal with you two in a moment, love,” he says in the couple’s direction, turning back to focus on Elena.The girl stomps her foot, and Elena has the urge to laugh hysterically.“Absolutely not. Unless you have a permit for a ritual sacrifice,” she waves her hands aggressively towards Aunt Jenna’s greying body, “which I highly doubt, I must insist you stop immediately.”
Relationships: Elena Gilbert/Stefan Salvatore, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger/Elijah Mikaelson, Kol Mikaelson/Harry Potter
Comments: 25
Kudos: 126





	1. I

It takes Elena a moment to realize the shriek of outrage isn’t her own.

(In hindsight, this makes sense. She had always been a quiet mourner.)

But in the haze of Aunt Jenna’s death and Greta’s repetitive chanting, Elena doesn’t notice the young couple until it’s too late.

“Excuse me!” the girl shrieks in outrage, even as the boy moves to position himself in front of her. “What’s going on here?”

The girl has long, dark hair that glints oddly in the firelight. She’s short but stands with a straight spine that makes her seem taller. The boy is taller, but not by much. They’re both dressed oddly- casual clothes with their jeans and nice sweaters partially obscured by silky, black robes.

Elena notes, detached, that they’re young, probably only a few years older than her. She wants to reach out and warn them- grab their shoulders and beg them to run, but she’s trapped in a ring of fire, and there’s a monster waiting to kill her.

If Klaus is annoyed by their interruption, he doesn't show it. 

“I’ll deal with you two in a moment, love,” he says in the couple’s direction, turning back to focus on Elena.

The girl stomps her foot, and Elena has the urge to laugh hysterically.

“Absolutely not. Unless you have a permit for a ritual sacrifice,” she waves her hands aggressively towards Aunt Jenna’s greying body, “which I highly doubt, I must insist you stop immediately.”

The boy takes another step forward, hiding the girl’s body mostly from Klaus’s view, and Elena admires the effort. He loves this girl.

The girl shoves him out of the way and hisses, “Harry, move.”

The boy- _Harry_ , Elena assumes- sighs and tiredly steps back.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Klaus says. His fangs drop and he rushes towards the couple. Elena finally finds her voice and screams for him to leave them alone, but she knows it’s too late, so she closes her eyes. She’d seen enough death for today.

A few seconds pass, and she opens her eyes, expecting to see a bloodbath.

But instead:

Klaus is frozen midair a few feet away from the couple. He can’t move his body, but his eyes are swinging wildly across the couple. He’s murderously angry and Elena shivers.

The girl doesn’t look scared, though, just exasperated.

“Right then,” she nods to herself. “Let’s settle this with some decorum, please.”

Elena swings her head to see that Stefan is similarly paralyzed. She can’t run to him with the fire around her burning so brightly, but she can't bring herself to move regardless.

Harry exhales and walks towards her. “Hermione, maybe focus on the human first?” He whispers something she can’t hear under his breathe, and the fire dies down, leaving no trace except the faint smell of burnt grass in the air.

Hermione steps closer to Klaus’s frozen body and pokes at his exposed fangs. She gasps in surprise. “Matria lamia!” She turns to look at Harry, who’s pointedly ignoring her excitement and gestures towards Klaus. “They’re such a young breed, I’ve never met one before.”

Harry reaches out to help her up, and Elena only pauses for a second before accepting his offer. His hand is warm and calloused, and she realizes how cold she’s felt until now. When he sees her shivering, he shrugs off his outer robe and drapes it over her shoulders. She thanks him quietly, still confused by their presence but grateful for his small kindness.

“Can you focus on the hedgewitch, please?” he begs Hermione.

Elena notices Greta at the same time that Hermione does. She’s behind an invisible barrier, screaming furiously as she tries to bring it down with magic.

“Oh, yes,” Hermione says, still distracted by her examination of Klaus. 

Harry snorts and flicks his wrist. A thin stick slips out of his jumper, and he clutches it tightly before whispering, “ _stupefy,”_ in Greta’s direction.

“She’s always like this,” Harry confides in her like they’re old friends, jerking his head towards Hermione. “I’m Harry. Harry Potter,” he introduces himself. “That’s Hermione.”

Elena had already guessed their names, but replies politely anyways. "Elena Gilbert."

He leads her over to the uneven standoff between Klaus and Hermione. Elena avoids Klaus’s eyes, still conditioned to fear her future and past killer. She wonders briefly if there’s something to be said for the generational trauma her previous doppelgängers had faced at the Mikaelson family’s hands.

She takes some comfort in Harry and Hermione’s closeness.

Harry seems to notice her distress, and he pushes her behind him gently before clutching the same stick again. Klaus’s face unfreezes, and he spits, “You don’t know who you’re dealing with. You’re making a mistake.”

Harry chortles, and Hermione sighs, crossing her arms and ignoring him. “I’ve written reports to the ICW about getting these newer sentient species under their jurisdiction, but they keep refusing.”

Harry nods in agreement, still amused. “They’re too young.”

Klaus growls, “I’m the oldest vampire to walk this Earth. For a thousand years, I’ve killed and massacred across the world. Do you know who I am?”

Hermione’s eyes light up. “An Original?”

Klaus seems pleased at her recognition and Elena knows in her bones that he plans on using it to his advantage.

“Indeed, love. I understand if you’ve made a mistake detaining me because you weren’t aware of who I was.” He sounds sincere, but Elena recognizes the unstable glint in his eyes. She tugs at Harry’s sleeve to warn him, but he only pats her hand in response.

“I’ll let bygones be bygones if you let us be,” he offers magnanimously.

Hermione rolls her eyes and turns to Elena. “What’s this ritual meant to be?” she asks.

Klaus growls, “This is your last warning, love,” at her back.

Elena isn’t sure if she should respond and looks to Klaus in fear.

“He can’t hurt you,” Harry assures her.

Elena wants to believe him, but she’s seen the terror Klaus has wrought. She clutches at Harry’s hands desperately and whispers fiercely, “He’s a monster. He killed my Aunt.” She chokes on her tears, and Harry’s face softens.

“I’ll kill you,” Klaus hisses at Hermione, tired of being ignored. Hermione doesn’t turn to face him but instead continues to look at Elena with sympathy.

Harry, however, doesn’t seem to take well to threats against Hermione.

He shakes off Elena’s hands quickly and turns to speak to Klaus for the first time since they’d entered the clearing. He looks over Klaus with a hint of disdain.

“Scarier monsters than you have tried,” Harry promised. “They’re all dead.” A few seconds later, Klaus is slumped on the grass, his body tightly bound with shimmering gold ropes.

Hermione asks, “Elena, wasn’t it?” Elena nods in confirmation. “What’s this all,” she waves at the now unlit circles and the bodies spread across the field, “meant to be?”

Elena looks from Harry’s soft, green eyes and the displeased but sympathetic set of Hermione’s jaw. She breaks.

“It’s a curse,” Elena wails. “He’s cursed! He’s a werewolf, and he’s a vampire, and his mom cheated on his dad, and now he’s cursed to only be a vampire. He wouldn’t stop killing people unless I promised to let him sacrifice me, and I couldn’t let them die, so I said I would!” She’s sobbing now, and Harry pulls her into a one-armed hug. She sniffles into his sweater.

“He said he’d drain my blood, and then he’d be half werewolf too. And then he wanted an army! More half-vampire, half-werewolf hybrids like him!” She finishes. Later she’ll realize that her entire explanation was half-hiccupped and wholly disjointed, but luckily Hermione seemed to understand.

Harry looks to Hermione for a translation. Hermione hums in consideration.

“A blood curse cast by a hedgewitch,” she decides finally, tucking a long piece of hair behind her ear. “Probably can’t break it with ancestral magic, only blood magic. Is there something special about your blood, Elena?”

Elena nods, unsure about disclosing her doppelgänger status. These two seemed kind, and they’d saved her from Klaus, but that kindness could flip to cruelty in a moment. When she doesn’t reply immediately, Harry discretely sniffs her hair. A look of understanding passes over his face.

Hoping she won’t come to regret it, she admits, “I’m a doppelgänger. His mom used my ancestor’s blood to bind his curse.”

“Ah,” Hermione says and then turns to look down at Klaus. She blinks long and slow. “That’s rather poor planning on his part then.”

“What?” Elena’s head is spinning now, and she’s not sure how she’s still standing.

“Well, he’d need your blood to create these,” she pauses and wrinkles her nose distastefully, “ _hybrids._ His mum was clever. If he kills you, no hybrids. If he doesn’t kill you, no hybrids.”

Harry mutters, “As bad as Greyback.”

Hermione nods in agreement but then suddenly tilts her head to the left. “Elena,” she starts urgently. “There’s a pair coming from the East and a man coming from the North. Are you expecting anyone, or are they trouble?”

She’s not sure. Bonnie and Damon are on their way, but Klaus could have reinforcements coming. She shrugs and admits, “I’m not sure.”

Harry calmly places her between himself and Hermione, and they collectively turn Northeast. He lets go of her shoulder, and she tries to stop her legs from shaking. Hermione reaches down to gently squeeze her hand. She looks like she’s about to say something, but Damon flashes through the trees, Bonnie closely behind. They’re walking through a path of fire. Their faces say they’re expecting a fight.

“Get away from her,” Bonnie demands, twisting her wrist, so her palm faced the sky. She’s chanting loudly, and her words feel more powerful than Greta’s did. The flames flare higher. Damon doesn’t bother with words. Instead, he runs towards them at full speed. Elena is almost relieved when he falls to the ground with a bright red flash.

“Another hedgewitch,” Harry mutters. “Are there really that many?”

Distracted, Hermione replies, “They’re mostly concentrated in old colonies, but there are only a few thousand across the world.”

“She’s my friend,” Elena interrupts them.

Harry and Hermione look at each other over her head.

“Okay,” Harry shrugs and lets her step forward to speak.

“Bonnie, stop!” Elena says. “They saved me from Klaus.”

Bonnie’s chanting doesn’t stop, but her steps slow. Elena points to Klaus, bound and passed out on the ground, before entreating, “They did that!”

Hermione chimes in, “That spell might kill you if you keep going.”

When Bonnie doesn’t stop, Hermione sighs. “This is the last time I let you pick the leylines,” she swears at Harry.

She moves her wand in a complicated spiral movement, and the flames around Bonnie die out. The four of them stand stock-still in the moonlight and Bonnie is shocked enough to stop in her tracks.

“Elena?” she asks. “Are you okay?”

“I am,” Elena promises.

Bonnie walks to them and looks at Klaus’s bound body. Intense satisfaction passes over her face. She kicks him- not too gently- in the shin.

“Who are you?” Bonnie demands, grabbing Elena’s arm and pulling her into a bone-breaking hug.

Harry sketches out an awkward mix between a wave and a bow. “Harry Potter. That’s Hermione.” Hermione inclines her head in a graceful nod.

Bonnie’s eyebrows rise at his unexpected accent.

“They saved me from Klaus,” Elena insists again.

Bonnie is still suspicious. “Why?”

Harry shrugs and shoves his hands in his pockets. “She was in trouble, so we helped.”

“Just like that?” Bonnie asks skeptically.

Harry shrugs again. “Yeah?”

Hermione pipes up, “This’ll also be a great case study for my petition to bring newer species of sentient magicals under Wix jurisdiction.”

Harry rolls his eyes at her.

“What?” Hermione demands. “This is proof that there’s a clear need for oversight!”

“You have magic?” Bonnie asks in disbelief. “I can’t feel any coming from you.”

Hermione starts, “A different kind-.“ She cuts herself off and tilts her head to the left again. “The man is about here.”

No sooner than she finishes her sentence, Elijah bursts through the tree line, his suit somehow still impeccably unruffled.

“Merlin,” Harry says. “Another?” He doesn’t wait for Elijah to speak. Harry, it seems, is fed up with the situation. He waves his wand, and a bolt of red strikes Elijah in the chest. Another strike of red, and Elijah is in the same bound position as Klaus.

Bonnie steps back, pulling Elena with her. “What?” she gasps.

Hermione ignores Bonnie’s question and leans into Harry. He adjusts his stance unconsciously to compensate for her weight. Elena feels her chest tighten at their simple movements.

“Perhaps there’s somewhere better we can speak?” Hermione asks.

Elena immediately offers, “The boarding house?”

Harry shrugs artlessly. “Sure.” He waves his stick, and the four vampires on the ground and Greta float into the air and behind him in an eerie single-filed line. Hermione walks to Aunt Jenna and murmurs under her breath. She then leans down and heaves Aunt Jenna into her arms. Elena feels tears roll down her cheeks at her gentle actions.

Harry looks to Hermione in askance, nodding to the weight in her arms. Hermione replies to his unasked question, “I’m fine, let’s go.”


	2. II

Harry grimaces as Hermione's increasingly shrill voice, carries into the Boarding House's living room. He sends Bonnie and Elena a sheepish and apologetic look as he waves a hand carelessly in Hermione's direction. The sound of her arguing heatedly into what looks like a hand-held mirror cuts off.

He’s entirely ignoring the four unconscious men seated side-by-side on the sofa caddy-corner to the loveseat Elena is shivering on. His only concern seems to be Hermione, who he keeps carefully in his line of sight even as he leans casually against a wall and sips at a glass of whiskey, he’d poured himself.

She wishes she could steal some of his confidence.

As the minutes tick by, Elena slowly warms- in part thanks to the fire Bonnie had lit, and in part, thanks to the whiskey Harry had handed her.

Finally, Bonnie asks the question Elena had been building up to. “What now?”

Harry looks away from Hermione and responds. “Well,” he drags the word out and runs his hand through his hair. “I’m not sure,” he admits.

Elena and Bonnie slump simultaneously, but before they can answer, they hear footsteps coming towards them. They turn sharply, still on edge, but it’s only Hermione. Her hair, previously long and weighed down in heavy waves, is fizzing and crackling with little sparks of energy.

"What's Kings saying?" Harry asks her. Hermione goes to answer, and while her mouth is moving, no sound comes out. Harry smirks, and she glares at him before cutting her hand through the air in an irritated circle.

“Don’t do that,” she hisses at him.

He shrugs, unrepentant, and prompts her again, “Kings?”

Hermione sighs and drops heavily into an armchair.

They make a tight square of monsters and men, Elena notes to herself, half-hysterically.

"He says we shouldn't get involved," Hermione announces as she furiously taps at the mirror she'd been speaking into. "Idiots, the lot of them. I told you we should've been more involved in restructuring the Ministry!" Her tapping becomes more agitated as she trails off and begins to mutter some very creative curses to herself.

Elena’s stomach drops. She’d been secretly hoping these strangers- who’d shown her more kindness than she thought possible- would save her again.

She wasn’t sure she could save herself.

“Are you going to leave?” she asks Harry quietly.

Harry looks confused at her question before wincing and shaking his head empathically. "No, of course not," he answers, his eyes soft. He walks to Hermione and settles on the arm of her chair. He says her name, but when she doesn't answer, he tugs a piece of her hair.

“Harry,” she whines sharply.

“Hermione,” he whines back, mocking. “Is there a plan? Or are you just trying to break your mirror?”

She places her mirror in her lap and straightens, prim and proper. “Well, I don’t want to break any rules,” she trails off pointedly.

Harry chuckles and motions at the other girls. “Elena wants to know if we’re going to leave.”

Hermione furrows her brow. "Of course not!" she promises, mirroring Harry's earlier response. "Magical sentients can't go around making ritual sacrifices willy-nilly. Imagine the chaos."

Elena’s stomach settles. “You’ll stay?” she confirms cautiously.

Hermione nods decisively. “We’ll just need to,” she winces and continues, “creatively interpret our directive.”

Bonnie raises an eyebrow and demands flatly, “What.”

“She means we’ll lie,” Harry clarifies.

“It’s not lying,” Hermione protests shrilly.

Harry ignores her and leans in, sending them a conspiratorial look. "She's the worst of us about breaking the rules." She swats at his arm again, and he leans away laughing. "She set a teacher on fire once."

Elena doesn’t mean to laugh- _an hour ago, she thought she'd never laugh again-_ but she pictures a younger, shorter Hermione, setting a teacher on fire, and she bursts into giggles. Bonnie turns to Elena in disbelief, but at the sight of her best friend laughing, she joins in as well.

Hermione presses her lips together to fight her smile. She clears her throat pointedly and pantomimes choking Harry.

When their laughter dies out, Hermione's eyes turn serious. "Alright, we have full amnesty to act in any way related to the leylines, yeah?" she confirms with Harry.

He nods in agreement as Bonnie mouths the word _leylines_ in confusion.

"There's obviously something off about the magic in this town," Hermione continues and wrinkles her nose in distaste. "Two doppelgängers in one place? Practically impossible."

Bonnie interrupts, “Two?”

“Yeah, Elena and,” Harry replies and gestures at Stefan’s unconscious body.

"Stefan?" Elena asks, trying to process this new information.

Hermione looks to Harry to confirm, and Harry, after sniffing the air like a puppy, affirms, "Yeah, Stefan too."

Hermione shrugs delicately, “So if there’s all this magical activity happening around the only intersection of seven leylines on any landmass, that'd be under our purview."

Harry smiles fondly at her and her quick reasoning. "It would be, yeah." He claps his hands together and leans forward on his knees. "It's settled. We'll stay and _investigate_ this magical convergence.”

Bonnie sighs, relieved and slightly excited. She's brimming with questions for Harry and Hermione, and even with Jenna's cooling body in the next room and Klaus's unconscious form feet away from her, she's barely keeping hold of her curiosity.

“Are you going to wake them up?” Elena asks quietly.

Hermione looks disgruntled but eventually nods. Harry sighs before pulling the stick he'd used before out of his sleeve. He waves it in the unconscious men's direction, and they startle awake. Klaus comes to roaring in anger. Elena draws back, and Bonnie instinctively throws her arm in front of her friend's body, lifting her other hand to begin casting.

But none of the men move their bodies. Only their faces unfreeze.

“What the fuck?” Damon demands immediately.

“Elena?” Stefan asks, his eyes running over her form to check for injuries.

Elijah doesn’t speak, but his eyes narrow on Harry and Hermione.

Klaus, however, screams in outrage. "I'll kill you all," he promises. "I'll start with you," he spits at Hermione, his eyes raking over her form lecherously.

Harry sighs again, tired and a bit annoyed. “Mate, I knocked you out the first time you threatened her. This’ll take forever if you keep doing it.”

Klaus looked ready to respond, but Elijah interrupts him. “Brother, perhaps we should let these strangers explain themselves? Or maybe Elena can fill us in?”

Four pairs of eyes turn to her, and Elena fights the instinct to flee.

“Elena,” Stefan urges her to explain.

"Elena," Damon snaps more sharply.

Hermione huffs and snaps her fingers to get their attention. “Stop asking her questions,” she demands imperiously. “And you,” she points at Elijah with her eyes narrowed and gaze sharp, “Stop trying to intimidate her.”

“I meant no harm,” Elijah vows smoothly.

Hermione scoffs.

"We have you dead to rights on ritual murder," she says, pointing at Klaus. "Do you have a defense, or should we ship you out for trial?"

Klaus laughs, the noise razor-sharp and meant to draw blood. "You think a cell will hold me? I'm an immortal, love. After I kill you and your loved ones, I'll still live for generations."

Hermione is unimpressed. “Immortal,” she states in Klaus’s direction, crossing her arms over her chest. “Immortal?” she asks Harry.

Harry looks at Klaus closely and then heaves himself up. He strolls to where Klaus is seated and leans into the other's man face. They're just centimeters apart. Klaus scowls but stays quiet, even as Harry flits his fingers over his temples.

“Nah,” Harry finally responds. “Not immortal.”

“Figured,” Hermione shrugs.

“You can’t kill me,” Klaus assures harshly.

“I wonder if atomizing an immortal would work. Would they regenerate?” Hermione mutters to herself, but her voice carries.

Elijah jerks like he wants to lash out, but invisible bindings stop him. "Is that a threat?" he demands.

Hermione looks confused before she realizes that she'd spoken aloud. She blushes lightly. "Scientific curiosity!" she defends herself.

Klaus sneers at her, but Damon speaks up before he can threaten her with death again, "This's been fun and all, sweetheart, but maybe you could let us up? We're the good guys."

Harry tilts his head to the left and asks, “Elena? Bonnie?”

Bonnie doesn't answer. She doesn't think she could ever call Damon a good guy.

Elena bites her lip and hesitates.

“Keep Klaus frozen,” she begs.

Hermione looks at her sympathetically, but with no pity, before waving her arm and unfreezing Stefan, Damon, and Elijah.

Stefan races to Elena's side to check her over, and Elena tries to take his concern with good grace even as her blood rushes through her uncomfortably and her body begs her to recoil.

Damon moves to pour himself some whiskey while Elijah stands smoothly and straightens his suit, adjusting his cufflinks.

He walks towards Hermione sedately, bravely ignoring the way Harry’s jaw tightens.

“Elijah Mikaelson,” he introduces, bowing lightly, offering a hand in greeting.

Hermione wrinkles her nose at his formal behavior. She doesn't take his hand but responds, "Hermione Granger. A pleasure, I'm sure."

Harry and Damon chuckle lightly as Elijah lets his hand drop awkwardly to his side.

“May I ask what your interest in my brother’s affairs are?” Elijah asks.

Hermione shrugs and looks to Harry, who coughs, tugs at his hair, and answers, somewhat confused, "Well, uh, he killed someone, and that's illegal."

Damon chokes on a sip of whiskey, no doubt thinking of the many- _many-_ people they’ve all killed.

Elijah raises an eyebrow. “And you’ve taken it upon yourself to take justice on Ms. Sommer’s behalf?”

“Yeah?” Harry answers again, still confused.

“I see,” Elijah says condescendingly. “I’m not sure you understand the situation you’ve inadvertently stepped into. You cannot just imprison an Original.”

Hermione scoffs and stands. "Elena said you were trying to kill Klaus. Odd that his would-be-murderer is worried about him going to jail, no?"

Klaus laughs again, this time genuinely gleeful. "Brother," Klaus starts, and Elena stiffens. She's heard that tone, and it usually ended in bloodshed. "You seek to kill me in revenge for our family, and yet there is nothing to avenge.”

Elijah blurs to Klaus, lightning-fast, and presses a dagger to his brother's throat. Klaus ignores the implicit threat and whispers quietly, so only he and Elijah can hear. "Free me, and I'll take you to them. Their bodies are safe."

Elijah's eyes widen, and quicker than even Harry can react, he runs out of the Boarding House with Klaus in his arms.

Hermione drops into her armchair and sighs heavily. Harry groans.

“Fuck’s sake,” he swears, chugging the rest of his whiskey in one go.

Elena follows suit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello my lovelies I hope you enjoy this chapter!!   
> please do keep commenting/kudoing/bookmarking etc bc i do really thrive on validation (im weak im sorry) lmk if you'd like to see something specific but our next chap is gonna be from Bonnie's POV (none of the chaps are gonna be harry or hrmione pov just fyi!!!)  
> thank u for reading ilyall and as usual am sending good vibes ur way!!!

**Author's Note:**

> someone stop me and tell me to go write for the stories i already have up- im begging you bully me please 
> 
> i've been reading a lot of vampire diaries stuff and honestly this is the result of it. I haven't decided on final pairings yet so if you have an opinion let me know!
> 
> i hope yall like it ily please comment/kudo/idk interact thank you for reading!


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